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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · fine · chair · mark · calf · net · wind · last

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. net — in sport
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. staff — employees
  11. fine — high quality
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — finally
  15. net — for catching
  16. last — to go on
  17. net — after costs
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. last — final
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com